A metal object the size of a brick that crashed into a house on Avenue E on July 17 apparently came from the direction of the Military Ocean Terminal, city officials said.
The object, which Police Director Mark Smith said was slightly smaller than “a penny brick,” is believed to be a part of an industrial tub grinder machine.
“This is something like a wood chipper but designed to grind wood and other construction debris,” Smith said. “This looks to be part of the machine that grinds up slabs of concrete.”
Initially, the object puzzled people since it was propelled into the house with such force that it passed down into the home and became lodged in the second floor ceiling.
The crash was reported at 1:06 p.m. after the homeowner heard a loud crash and felt the whole house shake, Smith said.
“He went up to the second floor hallway and found a piece of metal the size of a brick protruding from the second floor ceiling,” Smith said. “When the fire department arrived, they found some smoke, but no fire. There were no structural problems.”
The smoke was apparently plaster dust disturbed by the crash. Smith said it was first thought to have come from an airplane passing overhead from nearby Liberty Airport, or flung from a passing train.”
“We called everyone we could since we did not know the origin at the time. No one was hurt. But our main concern is that it doesn’t happen again,” Smith said.
FAA officials took the matter seriously since a piece of plane had fallen onto a yard last year elsewhere in New Jersey.
Silver in color and weighing about 10 pounds, the object appears to be “a tooth” from a machine that is currently involved in development on the MOTBY.
The object has two large circular indentations where nuts and bolts had been attached, but also, Smith said, may have been melted slightly from wear or friction.
The Bayonne Fire Department reported the matter to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) when the department determined the object had hit the house from above.
The FAA, however, appeared to believe at first that the object had been of “a military origin” or had come from the nearby Hudson-Bergen Light Rail Line and that it was clearly not from an aircraft. Other officials ruled out any connection to the rail line.
Smith said the police department continued to investigate, and eventually concluded the object apparently broke away from machinery operating at the MOTBY.
“We believe the part came from a tub grinder that is used to grind concrete and stone,” Smith said.
Nancy Kist, executive director of the Bayonne Local Redevelopment Authority (which oversees operations at MOTBY), said the part originated from a grinder operated by Reliable Wood Products of Jersey City. The company has been grinding up wood waste as part of the redevelopment work in the area.
“We believe the object came from a piece of equipment being operated in the Harbor Station North District,” Kist said. ” Although it appears to be a ‘freak’ accident, we’ve asked our engineers to conduct a full review of the incident to determine whether or not the incident could have been prevented, or if there are any things we can do in the future to assure that it does not happen again. It’s my understanding that the property owner will be fully compensated for the damage to his house by the responsible party. I’m not sure whether the responsible party will submit an insurance claim or just pay it directly.”
The object apparently broke free from the machine during operations and was propelled more than 200 yards at a height that allowed it to pass over Route 440, the elevated Light Rail station, and a row of houses before striking the house on Avenue E.